Stuff I’ve Learned About Fat Loss – The Good, the Bad, and the Fugly

The diet and fitness industry is a monstrously big one. Gyms are packed solid, and diet companies around the globe are doing backflips for your dollars.

Well, the good news is, I’m here to help you navigate the maze known as the fitness and diet industry. There are dozens of diet methods, and hundreds, if not thousands, of diet companies all vying for your attention.

And guess what? I’ve tried a whole lot of them – both on myself and on my clients. Hopefully, I can share some of my wisdom with you so you don’t have to do it the hard way.

Here are some of the top learnings and observations I’ve had over the years in the industry:

I’m not sure what it is, but I have yet to meet anyone personally that has kept the weight off for longer than a year.

Theoretically, cutting calories long-term can lead to a lowered basal metabolic rate and a loss of lean mass, both of which are the kiss of death for successful fat loss. And so far, this theory has held true with every client I’ve met.

Hey, if you’ve met someone who’s kept it off, kudos to them!

I’ve just never met one myself.

Lunchtime!

2) Wheat might be the devil’s food

The more people I work with, the more I’m convinced that the majority of people are intolerant to wheat.

Over the years, I’ve observed how my clients’ health improved considerably when they took wheat out of their diet. Some of the health benefits that they experienced have ranged from any of the following:

Weight loss

Improved digestion

Disappearance of joint pain

Improved skin complexion

Improved mental clarity

Improved emotional balance

Improved sinuses and respiration

Disappearance of chronic headaches and migraines

Give it a shot and see for yourself. It might just change your life.

The devil made me do it.

3) Nutrition counts for 99.6734%* of your fat loss results

(*rough estimate)

There is one sad conclusion I’ve come to over the years. If you exercise your ass off, and don’t make any real changes to your nutrition, you’ll likely be wasting your time.

Don’t get me wrong. Exercise is good for you. People with active lifestyles generally are happier, healthier, and more productive.

It just won’t necessarily make you skinnier.

If you want to lose fat, the majority of your results will come from changes in how you eat.

4) Getting super-lean is WAAAY harder than you think

Every once in a while, I get someone that shows me a picture of what they want to look like: rock-hard abs with nary a cell of fat anywhere. And they lament that they’re working out 5 days a week at a gym, and watching what they’re eating, and … annnd….. aaaannnnnnndddddd!!!!

Lemme let you in on a secret. It’s still not enough.

Those bodybuilders and physique athletes you see on the covers of fitness magazines are working out ALL THE TIME. And they’re freakin strong. They’re probably lifting more weights in one hour than you do in a week.

If you’re a woman, multiply your efforts by a few. It’s insanely hard to put on muscle and get a six-pack. You have to understand the massive efforts that these athletes go through in the gym and with their nutrition. (And let’s face it… sometimes… in the pharmaceutical lab… cough *ahem* cough).

So if you want to build that kind of physique, be prepared to do the work and make the sacrifices. It is NOT for the faint of heart.

Wanna look like her? You probably couldn’t if you tried.

5) Be wary of professionals who push THEIR method as the ONLY method

When I started out in this industry, I was pretty arrogant. I mentored with one of the top strength coaches in the world, and whatever he said WAS THE TRUTH. Now, I’ll admit, I got a great payoff from being arrogant: I got to make fun of other people, and it gave me a massive superiority complex, but it didn’t really help my clients get the results they were paying for.

Here’s a hard lesson I’ve learned: there is no ONE perfect fat loss method. Sure, there are some diet companies out there that are a total farce, but there are quite a few great options out there that may be a perfect fit for you.

If you haven’t noticed already, humans are complicated. We all come from different ethnicities, cultures, environments, histories, and genetic predispositions. To say that there is only one diet that works for all these factors is a bold statement, and one I no longer subscribe to.

But lemme clarify something here: there are professionals who specialize in one particular method of fat loss. This is their expertise. And if you’re looking for XYZ method, then they’re the go-to person. I don’t have a problem with that. I’ve got a problem if those same professionals believe that their way is the only way. ‘Cuz it ain’t.

There has been a longstanding argument in the industry whether you should ever hire a fat trainer. And then they go on to argue, would you hire a broke financial advisor? Or a poorly-dressed stylist?

My take? Yes, it would be nice to hire a trainer that also looks fit and healthy. But in the end, the more important factor is: what do his/her clients look like? Do they look their same, pudgy selves year after year? Or are they getting fitter and healthier as the months go by? THAT IS THE TRUE TESTAMENT TO A GOOD TRAINER, and that is the trainer I’d want to work with in the end.

7) If you’re not willing to make permanent changes to your lifestyle, then all of the above won’t do you a lick of good.

If you approach fat loss as some kind of temporary thing that you can do for a few weeks at a time, and then go back to how you ate before, think again. Being fit, healthy, and vibrant is a lifestyle. PERIOD.

So, there you have it. Just a bit of my wisdom that I’ve been so fortunate to learn over the years.

I hope it helps you guide your way to your best year yet. Rock on!

In health & high heels,

Mina.

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11 Responses

Hi! I have a question about calorie cutting. What exactly do you mean cutting calories would not work long term? I am using myfitnesspal and at this stage, I am cutting calories (eating good foods) and working out. Is this a bad strategy?

Hi Alison, I can’t really make specific recommendations without getting a lot more information from you, but I should clarify that I was really referring to those super-low calorie diets – like those diets that require less than 1,000 calories per day. Another reader, Larry, wrote a GREAT comment that went through calorie-cutting in more detail. Scroll down a bit and you’ll find it. See if he makes more sense than I did lol.

I will say, though, that calorie-cutting in general, is not a one-size-fits all strategy. There are SO many factors involved that will make your fat-loss successful, such as macronutrients, types and amounts of exercise, hormonal imbalances, sleep, stress… and on and on. Having said that, if you are choosing the right foods and supplementing with an active lifestyle, then it’s certainly a start!

Hi Alison, think of your body as a car and your goal is to drive from Los Angeles to New York; a trip that requires about $1,000 worth of high quality gasoline (fuel). If you attempt to make the trip with only $500 in gas or with $1,000 worth of low quality gasoline that burns too fast in your car, you obviously will not make it to New York. Conversely, if you try to jam $1,000 worth of gas into the car all at once either the tank will burst or the gas will come spilling out thus it is important to spread your gasoline intake out throughout the trip.

Your body is like your car. It needs the right amount of high quality fuel providing you with enough energy to get through each and every day. Your first task is to determine approximately the MINIMUM amount of high quality energy your body needs which http://www.myfitnesspal.com will help with. It’s also wise to determine the MAXIMUM amount of energy that your body will burn which you can do at http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html. Armed with this information, your goal is to consume about half way between your minimum and maximum and to spread your intake out throughout the day.

It’s important to note that if you make drastic reductions in short time periods the body will rebel. You may experience hunger, fatigue, anxiety, depression or frustration; each of which can destroy motivation therefore it’s important to make adjustments slowly and comfortably.

Mina this is a terrific article but as a trainer, I’m a tad miffed…You see, I offer a pretty stringent program. I get my clients working hard and improving strength goals regularly and even losing inches. However, I have several clients who I believe eat their way to their cars after they leave their training with me. Since I have no control over their hand to mouth activity (though I coach them on how to eat better) it’s hardly my fault they aren’t losing weight. I struggle with the idea of firing a client for not doing their part as I know the benefits they are receiving from the workout even if they have food issues that undermine their physical appearance. Perhaps a better rule would be to ask the clients their views on the trainer. I have clients who couldn’t lift 5# over their head when they began who can now lift 40#, who couldn’t do push ups but can now do 20, and have improved their cardio vascular abilities, whether it’s stair climbing, walking or running. One would think they would lose more weight but sadly, some don’t…
XO,
Elyssa

I couldn’t help but chuckle a little over your comment, Elyssa, because I can totally relate! Gosh darn those clients lol. In the early stages of my career, I knew a LOT of great information, but truth be told, my clients more or less looked the same month after month. There is a fine line between whether a client is being uncoachable, or whether the coach is being ineffective. It wasn’t until I started turning my focus away from gaining more knowledge, and more towards PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT on how I could be more effective with the knowledge I had, that my clients started making radically impressive transformations. And yes, I totally agree that it’s so difficult to determine whether it’s time to let a client go – something I struggle with to this day, but it all comes with practice, self-confidence, and lazer-clear communication. Congrats on making a great difference with your clients so far, and I wish you continued success in improving people’s lives!

Another really good article Mina; I agree with virtually everything you’ve stated.

There is one area that I would like to comment on and that is “calorie cutting”. Lowering calorie consumption does not reduce basal metabolism unless lowered below basal metabolic rate. Most weight gain occurs when an individual consumes a calorie amount greater than their total daily energy expenditure. If the individual consumes greater than BMR while still lower than TDEE (BMR + activity), such a person will lose weight without harming BMR. This is why I suggest that nobody should ever make adjustments to eating plans before learning how much energy their body burns during daily living.

Also, when a person consumes between BMR and TDEE, the body will not experience the fatigue or mood swings that come with “extreme calorie reduction”.